Gogoi Cabinet to have 18 Ministers

Assam CM Tarun Gogoi is being congratulated by Governor of Assam J B Patnaik (R) after administering oath of office and secrecy at Raj Bhawan in Guwahati on May 18, 2011. Tarun Gogi become the chief minister for the third consecutive time. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday constituted his new Council of Ministers.

Mr. Gogoi returned from Delhi in the afternoon after obtaining the seal of approval from Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the list. The Cabinet will have 17 Congress legislators and one Bodoland People's Front (BPF) legislator. Fourteen will be sworn in as Cabinet Ministers and four as Ministers of State (Independent charge).

The four Ministers of State (Independent charge) will be Ajit Singh, Basanta Das, Rajib Lochan Pegu and Sidduque Ahmed. Governor J.B. Patnaik will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the Ministers. The swearing-in ceremony has been arranged at the ITA Cultural Centre for want of space at the Raj Bhavan. Though the Congress was in position to form the government on its own, Mr. Gogoi decided to continue the alliance with the BPF. In the previous Congress-BPF coalition government the BPF had three Cabinet Ministers. Of them only Mr. Brahma will be the lone BPF representative in the new Gogoi team.